Recessed roof-mounted heater



Sept. 6, 1966 Filed Feb. 4; 1963 R. A. NIELSEN 3,270,738

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JrrMA g- United States Patent 3,270,738 RECESSED ROOF-MUUNTED HEATER Rodney A. Nielsen, 3007 Green Lane, Redondo Beach, Calif. Filed Feb. 4, 1963, S81. No. 255,965 Claims. cl. 126-110) This invention relates to the heating and other types of air conditioning of homes and other buildings and has as its general object to provide an improved heating or air Conditioning apparatus which does not occupy any of the room space of the building nor require space in a basement or attic or on top of a roof, which nevertheless can be located centrally with respect to a plurality of rooms, can be installed with a minimum of duct work, and which will heat fresh air from the exterior and circulate it into the building; or recirculate interior air; or a combination of both.

Attic installations are subject to objections such as noise, fire hazard and lack of convenient access. Roof installations are unsightly and untidy. The invention provides for an installation in which the air conditioner unit is largely concealed below roof level yet is accessible above the roof level.

The invention provides an inexpensive solution for the problem of zone heating, e.g., in apartment houses, motels, hotels etc. It provides an apparatus that can be installed in or on a trailer, boat or the like. It provides maximum protection against explosion and fire. It provides for direct venting of heavier-than-air and lighter-than-air gases to the exterior of the building, avoiding any possibility of such gases accumulating within the building. It provides an apparatus nearly as simple as a wall heater yet having none of the disadvantages of the wall type heater, such as the recirculation of vitiated air, the leaking of noxious gases into the room being heated, the hazard of fire, loss of wall space, etc.

The invention admirably satisfies the requirements of building codes while greatly reducing the complexity of the structure required by closet heaters for meeting such requirements. For example, in many states, a closet heater will require an intake duct with a specified minimum cross-sectional area extending downwardly through the roof to within six inches of the floor (or the bottom of the heater) in the furnace closet in order to insure against any obstruction of the flow of intake air for combustion. Such an installation, in addition, must have a duct ex tending from the ceiling of the closet to the outside, for developing a convection air circulation. One of the objects attained by the present invention is to provide a continuous air circulation into the enclosure even when the burners of the heater are not operating, such convection circulation being developed by the defferential between ambient temperature and enclosure temperature. Such action cools the outer housing and supplies oxygen for the burner as needed.

Despite the building code requirements, the conventional units are not as safe as they are intended to be. American Gas Association undertakes to approve conventional units and to recommend installation techniques for the same, but since enclosures differ and so do building codes differ, the intended factors of safety often fail. The present invention provides for prefabricating the safety factors into the air conditioning unit, making it even more safe.

An important object of the invention is to provide all of the desirable characteristics mentioned above while avoiding the use of complicated duct work.

Ordinary wall heaters provide no means for zoning the heat that they give off. Furthermore, they are'a fire hazard. Even when a circulation fan is added to such a heater (as has been done in some types) the unit lacks the ability to filter the airit simply recirculates room air, burning the oxygen out of the air so as to greatly reduce its fitness for breathing. The present invention avoids all such objectionable characteristics.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the ensuing specification and appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a heating or air conditioning apparatus embodying my invention, and showing, in cut-away illustration, a building roof in which it is installed;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the heater;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the heat exchange unit;

1 FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the lines 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a modified form of the invention embodying an air conditioning unit;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of another modified form of the invention;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the burner and heat exchange units of FIG. 8; and 1 FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a separated unit instal ation.

Descripti0nFI GS. 1-6

In FIGS. 1-6 there is shown, as an example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, a home heater installation comprising a rectangular unit 10 installed in a roof 11. The invention is particularly characterized by having the upper portion of the unit 10 projecting above the roof 11 into ambient atmosphere at 12, and the lower portion of the unit, at 13, disposed below the roof 11 within the attic space of a building. An inlet duct 14 communicates with the bottom of the unit 10 at one end thereof and a hot air duct 15, with a plurality of branches l5, communicates with the bottom of the unit 10 and its other end.

The unit 10 is sealed to the roof 11 by a rectangular ring of flashing 17 including a vertical flange which is soldered, welded or otherwise secured and sealed to the lateral metallic walls of unit 10, and having an outwardly projecting flange which is suitably sealed to the roof 11. The flashing 17 may assist in supporting the unit 10 in the roof opening, although it is preferred to provide additional support in a form of a rectangular wood frame 18 to which the sides of the housing can be nailed or otherwise suitably supported, the frame 18 forming a part of or incorporated in the rafter structure 19 of the roof.

The unit 10 (FIG. 2) comprises a rectangular housing having end walls 21 and 22, side walls 23, a bottom 24 and a cover 25 with sloping panels and eaves overhanging the vertical housing walls 21, 22 and 23, for draining rain water away from a plurality of intake louvres 27 which are formed in the vertical walls.

The cover 25 is attached to the upper edges of the vertical walls 21, 22, 23 by relatively weak joints (e.g. webs of solder) such that in the event of explosion within the housing, the cover will blow off while the housing body will adequately Withstand the effect of the explosion to protect the building against fire.

Within the housing are a heat exchange unit 31, occupying the space above the hot air duct 15, a burner unit 32 directly below the heat exchange unit 31, and a blower unit 33 occupying the space in the other end of the housing, above the intake duct 14. These units are embraced by an internal jacket, U-shaped in plan view (FIG. 6) comprising side walls 35 in embracing relation to the heat exchange unit 31, an end wall 36 adjacent the outer side of unit 31, and a blanket of heat resistive insulating material 37 (e.g. spun glass) lining the walls 35 and 36. Walls 35 and 36 are spaced inwardly from the corresponding walls 23 and 22 of the housing, to define air circulation spaces 38 and 39 through which air (entering the housing through louvres 27) may circulate downwardly to the burner 32.

Heat exchange unit 31 is supported and positioned and properly spaced in relation to the walls 21-23 of the outer housing 16 by means of corner brackets 40 (FIGS. 3 and 4) in which the corners of the heat exchange unit are fitted and secured.

Referring now to FIG. 3 in connection with FIG. 2, the heat exchange unit 31 may comprise an up-draft flue 41 at one end of the unit, directly above the burner 32; a pair of down-draft flues 42 in the middle and at the other end of the unit, the upper ends thereof being in communication with the upper end of up-draft flue 41 through respective horizontal ducts 43 and 44; and a pair of terminal up-draft flues 45 (FIG. 2) each disposed centrally between a pair of down-draft flues 42. Each terminal flue 45 is separated from its respective pairs of downdraft flues 42 by partition walls 46, and its lower end communicates with the lower ends of the down-draft flues through connecting ports 47 formed by upward spacing of the lower ends of partition walls 46 from bottom walls 48 for the flues 42 and 45. The upper ends of terminal flues 45 are joined by a bridging header 49 from which a discharge flue 50 extends upwardly through the housing cover 25. The series of flues just described function to carry the combustion gases of burner 32 in a tortuous course from the burner to the discharge flue 50. Between the respective flues there is provided, within the space embraced by the U-shaped jacket 35-37, a series of heat-exchange air circulation spaces 51 in which air from lower unit 33 may circulate around the several flues 41, 42, 45 beneath the confining top wall 40 of the jacket and thence travel downwardly into the hot air duct through a large discharge duct 52 in the housing bottom 24, with which the upper end of duct 15 communicates.

The burner 32 extends transversely in the lower area of the housing at the one end thereof directly below updraft flue 41, and is isolated from the heat-transfer air passages 51 by an elongated, channel shaped burner jacket 53 having an open top communicating with the bottom of flue 41 and an end opening 54 communicating with the lower end of intake air space 39. Through the closed end of burner jacket 53, a fuel-injection nozzle 55 receives fuel from an injector 56.

Blower unit 33 comprises a blower casing 60 having an inlet 61 communicating with the upper end of inlet duct 14. Inlet 61 is offset to the outer side of casing 60, to provide a space accommodating injector 56. Within the casing 60 is a centrifugal blower 62 which directs its discharge horizontally into the adjacent air passage 51 as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2. As further indicated by the arrow in this figure and in FIG. 3, the air will travel in the spaces 51 around and between the flues 42 and 45 and thence downwardly through the outlet duct 52 through the distribution ducts 15, 15, absorbing heat from the flues 42 and 45 during such travel.

FIG. 6 discloses how the invention may be applied to an air cooling unit. The outer housing 21-23 and its mounting in the roof 11 is the same as in FIGS. 1-6, as indicated by the use of corresponding reference numerals to designate the parts thereof. In lieu of the heat exchange unit 31 previously described, there is embodied an air cooling unit 65 including a compressor 66 disposed in the inlet 61a of the blower casing 60a. An evaporator coil 67 is disposed in the air distribution duct 15 at the outlet port 52a of housing 21-23. Expansion and return fluid lines 68, 69 respectively connect the evaporator coil 67 to the compressor unit 66, with a suitable expansion valve 70 in the line 68. A cooling coil 71 is disposed in a cooling compartment 72 in the top of the housing 21-25 and connected to the compressed fluid lines 73 of compressor 66, for dissipating the heat of compression developed in the liquified refrigerant fluid traveling in lines 73. An auxiliary blower 74 is mounted in a ceiling wall 75 of housing 21-25 and has a fan 76 disposed in a ceiling chamber 77 defined between the ceiling wall 75 and cover 25, the fan 76 directing air through a screened port 78 into the cooling chamber 72 from which the air is discharged through louvred openings 27 at the adjacent end of the housing. The cooling air enters the ceiling chamber 77 through the louvers 27 at the opposite end of the housing.

The invention provides the arrangement of air cooling parts within the housing as described above, but it is to be understood that the air conditioner parts and their in terdependent functioning may be in accordance with standard refrigeration and air conditioning practice.

Briefly reviewing the operation of the air cooling unit, it will be apparent that the operation of the cooling coil 71, disposed in the top of the unit above the roof 11, is effected by the circulation of external air through the ceiling chamber 77 and the cooling chamber 72 and thence back to external atmosphere; whereas the operation of the evaporator unit 67, in which the cooled refrigerant, upon expansion, drops the temperature considerably below the ambient level, involves the circulation of room air from inlet duct 14 upwardly through blower inlet 61a, thence through the blower 62 which delivers the air horizontally into the main chamber 51a of housing 21- 25, and thence from the latter downwardly through outlet poit 52a and across the coils of evaporator unit 67 into the distribution duct 15, the coil 67 abstracting heat from the air passing therethrough so that the air is cooled for distribution to the rooms of the building.

In the appended claims, the term air-conditioning is used in its broadest sense to include not only air cooling units but air heating units or combinations of the two, particularly since the invention is directed primarily to the outer housing, its arrangement in a building roof, and the arrangement of parts within the housing, whether the parts comprise heating or cooling elements.

Modified form-FIGS. 8, 9

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate the adaptability of the invention to utilizing a combination heating and air conditioning unit manufactured by Williams Furnace Co., of Buena Park, California, under the commercial name Williams Year-Round Air Conditioner. The essential components of this apparatus comprise a burner and control assembly including burner unit 71 and control apparatus 72; a heat exchange element 73; and a blower unit 74. In the installation of these components in the housing structure 21-25 of the invention, the blower unit 74 is disposed in the blower housing 60 as in FIG. 1, the heat exchange unit 73 is disposed in the central area of housing 21-25 with the burner 71 disposed below it in substantially the same relation as described with connection in FIG. 2; and the control unit 72 is disposed at the opposite end of the housing from the blower 74. The structure of the outer housing and its relationship to the blower and heater unit is substantially the same as FIGS. 1-6 as indicated by the use of corresponding reference numerals to designate the same. In this arrangement, a refrigeration unit, disposed externally of the housing 21-25, may be connected to the heat exchange unit 73 so as to provide air conditioning in the summertime, with the blower 74 functioning to circulate the air through the unit 73 the same as in a heating operation.

Modified j0rmFIG. 10

FIG. 10 illustrates schematically how a heater unit A (which may correspond to FIGS. 8 and 9), may be connected to a separated refrigerator unit B, located apart from unit A (e.g. another location in the roof, with its housing disposed in the same relation to the roof as unit A). The heat exchange element 73 of FIG. 8 may be common to both units A and B. Although located in the housing of unit A, it may be connected to the evaporator line of refrigerator unit B by closed circuit lines 80 and 81. The remaining air cooler units may be the same as disclosed in FIGS. 6 and 7, with the exception that evaporator coil 67 will be located as shown in FIG. 10, and its lines (80 and 81) extended to it from remote unit B as described above.

As a further alternative, the refrigerator mechanism of FIG. 7, with the exception of the evaporator coil 67, may be embodied in the outer housing 21-23 of FIG. 7 and installed in the roof in the manner shown in that figure; the evaporator unit 67 may be installed in an existing blower unit in another part of the house (e.g. a forced air heating unit located in a downstairs closet) and refrigerant from the roof-mounted refrigerating unit can be piped down to the evaporator unit 67 through a pair of refrigerant lines extending from the roof-mounted unit down to the existing blower or forced air heater unit. FIG. 10 may be regarded as illustrative of such an installation, the refrigerator unit B being the unit mounted in the roof and the unit A being the blower unit already existing in another location in the building.

I claim:

1. In an air-conditioning apparatus, in combination: a building including a roof having an opening therein; a main housing including lateral upright walls extending through said opening, fitted to the margins thereof, and sealed to said roof, said housing having an upper portion projecting above said roof and provided with apertures for intake and discharge of external air from atmosphere outside said building into said upper housing portion, said housing having a lower portion projecting beneath said roof into an upper area within said building; an air-conditioning means within said housing and extending into said lower portion thereof; means within said housing for directing said external air to said airconditioning means for affecting the operation thereof and for then returning it to external atmosphere; air distribution and intake ducts communicating with said lower housing portion, for circulating in heat-transfer relation to said air-conditioning component, a body of air which thereby becomes conditioned; and means within said housing for directing said body of air past said airconditioning means in a circulation path separate from that of said external air, said air-conditioning means including burner, heat exchange and blower units, said blower unit being in one end area of said housing and above said intake duct, and said heat exchange unit occupying the other end area of said housing and an area of said housing intermediate said end areas and being above said air distribution duct; said apparatus further including an insulating jacket surrounding three sides of said heat exchange unit and spaced from the side walls and the end wall of said other end area of said housing, thereby defining air passages communicating at their upper ends with said atmosphere intake apertures, and communicating at their lower ends with said burner unit.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said jacket includes a top wall closing off the space within the jacket from the upper area within said housing, said jacket having an inlet opening communicating with the discharge outlet of said blower and receiving air therefrom, said jacket having a bottom outlet communicating with said distributing duct.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said burner extends longitudinally of said housing along one side of the bottom of said jacket, spaced laterally from said outlet, and including a burner jacket enclosing the bottom and sides of said burner, said burner jacket having a full length top opening communicating with the bottom of said heat exchange unit for delivering heated gases thereto, and an inlet opening at one end, communicating with said air intake passages.

4. In an air-conditioning apparatus, in combination: a building including a roof having an opening therein; a main housing including lateral upright walls extending through said opening, fitted to the margins thereof, and sealed to said roof, said housing having an upper portion projecting above said roof and provided with apertures for intake and discharge of external air from atmosphere outside said building into said upper housing portion, said housing having a lower portion projecting beneath said roof into an upper area within said building; an airconditioning means within said housing and extending into said lower portion thereof; means Within said housing for directing said external air to said air-conditioning means for affecting the operation thereof and for then returning it to external atmosphere; air distribution and intake ducts communicating with said lower housing portion, for circulating in heat-transfer relation to said airconditioning component, a body of air which thereby becomes conditioned; and means within said housing for directing said body of air past said air-conditioning means in a circulation path separate from that of said external air, said apparatus including an insulating jacket surrounding at least three sides of said air-conditioning means and spaced from the side Walls and an end wall of said housing, thereby defining air passages communicating at their upper ends with said atmosphere intake apertures, and communicating at their lower ends with said air-conditioning means.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein said airconditioning means includes burner, heat exchange and blower units.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,089,560 8/1937 Kurth 54X 2,475,841 7/1949 Jones 62323 2,658,503 11/ 1953 Scheurer. 2,756,569 7/1956 Kritzer 62259 2,776,797 1/1957 Suesserott 126110 X 2,809,812 10/1957 Erickson et al. 165-42 2,817,217 12/1957 Winkler et al. 62259 FOREIGN PATENTS 505,042 8/1930 Germany.

ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES SUKALO, Examiner.

A. W. DAVIS, Assistant Examiner. 

4. IN AN AIR-CONDITIONING APPARATUS, IN COMBINATION: A BUILDING INCLUDING A ROOF HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN; A MAIN HOUSING INCLUDING LATERAL UPRIGHT WALLS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING, FITTED TO THE MARGINS THEREOF, AND SEALED TO SAID ROOF, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN UPPER PORTION PROJECTING ABOVE SAID ROOF AND PROVIDED WITH APERTURES FOR INTAKE AND DISCHARGE OF EXTERNAL AIR FROM ATMOSPHERE OUTSIDE SAID BUILDING INTO SAID UPPER HOUSING PORTION, SAID HOUSING HAVING A LOWER PORTION PROJECTING BENEATH SAID ROOF INTO A UPPER AREA WITHIN SAID BUILDING; AN AIRCONDITIONING MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND EXTENDING INTO SAID LOWER PORTION THEREOF; MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR DIRECTING SAID EXTERNAL AIR TO SAID AIR-CONDITIONING MEANS FOR AFFECTING THE OPERATION THEREOF AND FOR THEN RETURNING IT TO EXTERNAL ATMOSPHERE; AIR DISTRIBUTION AND INTAKE DUCTS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID LOWER HOUSING PORTION, FOR CIRCULATING IN HEAT-TRANSFER RELATION TO SAID AIRCONDITIONING COMPONENT, A BODY OF AIR WHICH THEREBY BECOMES CONDITIONED; AND MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR DIRECTING SAID BODY OF AIR PAST SAID AIR-CONDITIONING MEANS IN A CIRCULATION PATH SEPARATE FROM THAT OF SAID EXTERNAL AIR, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING AN INSULATING JACKET SURROUNDING AT LEAST THREE SIDES OF SAID AIR-CONDITIONING MEANS AND SPACED FROM THE SIDE WALLS AND AN END WALL OF SAID HOUSING, THEREBY DEFINING AIR PASSAGE COMMUNI CATING AT THEIR UPPER ENDS WITH SAID ATMOSPHERE INTAKE APERTURES, AND COMMUNICATING AT THEIR LOWER ENDS WITH SAID AIR-CONDITIONING MEANS. 